This invention relates generally to volumetric 3D (V3D) displays, particularly for V3D displays applying a moving active display panel as the display means.
In the prior arts, there are a few descriptions of V3D displays based on a moving active display panel. Berlin in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,973 describes a system with a rotating panel of light emitting diodes. Favalora in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,020 describes a system with a rotating panel with emissive pixels with an overlay of micro-lenticular lens.
Tsao in Japanese patent application publication No. P2002-268136A describes a volumetric 3D (V3D) display that a “rotary reciprocating” mechanism drives a flat panel display to create volumetric 3D images directly, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The preferred flat panel display 2001 can be a board carrying arrays of LEDs (light emitting diodes) or OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes). The flat panel display is mounted on a support structure 520. Two pairs of rotary arms, 510a and 510c, drive the flat panel display and the support structure in a rotary motion such that the flat panel display rotates about an axis but with its surface always facing a fixed direction. As a result, the display panel sweeps a display space 12 as if in a reciprocating motion. The whole length of the flat display panel is larger than the length of the display space. As the flat panel display revolves to different positions, each corresponding 2D image frames of the volumetric 3D image to be displayed is kept within the display space by displaying each 2D image frames at a different location on the flat panel display, with the offset matching the location of the display space, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Image signals can be sent to the flat panel display through a cable 2002 connecting the display to its controller 2003. The cable can be made with minimum stiffness so that its effect on the display motion is also minimized. Alternatively, a wireless communication can replace the physical cable.
The V3D display described above can be categorized as a type of “Active Screen” V3D display, because the display screen requires active signal driving in order to display images.
This invention further develops the active screen V3D display technologies and describes improvements in a few key aspects.
This invention describes a method for processing frame image for displaying on the “rotary reciprocating” active screen.
This invention describes schemes of driving an active panel for the purpose of displaying V3D images.
This invention describes methods for designing 3D images that take advantage of the panel driving schemes.
This invention also describes methods and systems for coupling signals between the moving active screen and the stationary control.
This invention also describes the preferred image data memory buffer system.